Yiddish Curiosities: a library of wonderful but forgotten Yiddish songs from the late 1920s and after (includes Polish Jewish Cabaret). Have a listen!

This is a good song for the corrupt, venal administration we are suffering under. The song was originally written and copyrighted by Aaron Lebedeff but in this version, from a later generation, Henri Gerro (who was four years old when Lebedeff wrote the song) created his own introduction and all his own verses, retaining only the original chorus. I love it.

Sheva Zucker and I worked out the words and we missed a couple so corrections are welcome. Here's the song:


I have also gotten hold of the original lyrics as Aaron Lebedeff sang and that version will be coming along later.

Transliteration and translation from the Yiddish after the jump.




I've taken as my theme something which rules the world,
For which you can get everything: a thing called money.
Go find money, cash, money, money, money
One who has it has the influence! There is strength in money.

Everything for money, a little dough
Everything for money, for money you get everything
It's nothing, I swear to you, when you have money and you're rich
Because money makes the world go round

For money you sell your conscience
For money you love and also hate.
For money you go to jail,
For money they let a murderer go free.
For money a cantor sings at his stand
For money questions await the rabbi
For money one swears eternal love
For money love comes to an end

For money people become thieves
For money one loves and also hates
For money good friends become enemies
For money, enemies become friends.
For money you make a fool of yourself
For money you get good at murder
For money, even at the cemetery you get a better plot

For money a bride buys a bridegroom
For money one's sin is excused
For money a match is made.
And also, for money you get divorced.
For money women color their hair chestnut,
For money they become blondes.
For money they also become brunettes
For money a man turns a greenish yellow

Labels: battle between the sexes, humor & satire, making a living (poverty), modernity, yiddish theater song